The head of Mercedes-Benz flew into Tuscaloosa on Wednesday afternoon and gave Alabama an economic shot in the arm, announcing that the luxury automaker would invest $2 billion in its Vance, AL auto plant during the next few years.

“I just wish every decision our company has made was as good as the decision to come to Alabama,” he said.

“We are continuing to write new chapters of the plant's success story with significant investments into the future.

“Tuscaloosa was the first production location of Mercedes-Benz cars ever outside of Germany, and today it is among our best, As our pioneering plant, it is also the blueprint for our new operations in emerging markets,” he said.

Go ahead and bitch about buying American, but this is a big shot in the economy here.